perjantai 27. syyskuuta 2013

There were several layers of old wallpapers on the walls of Vårkulla's hall. On top of these were a not so beautiful bright blue cardboard. It is a shame we took all the wallpapers down with the cardboard, should have left them under the new wallpaper. Luckily we took some photos and saved some samples.

torstai 19. syyskuuta 2013

I haven't always been into seasonal food but as I started to read food magazines I tend to try at least one new recipe right away and many of them are of course seasonal. Pears are in season now, not in my garden but at least in Sweden they are, this is adapted from a Swedish magazine - or the topping is, the base is from an American cook book.

This pizza base is my all time favourite: it is good. quick and you don’t have to remember to buy fresh yeast. Use the base for more traditional pizzas, it is good with anything!

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Mix flour and yeast. Add warm water and knead until smooth. Cover with a cloth and leave for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a large circle and place on a baking sheet. Arrange the pears, onion, garlic, chillies and walnuts on top. Cover with the grated cheese. Sprinkle thyme, honey and olive oil on top and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and beautifully coloured.

maanantai 16. syyskuuta 2013

Our long lasting (it survived from last Christmas) poinsettia (joulutähti in Finnish) moved back inside after being in the garden for a couple of months. I hope it will live to see this year's Christmas.

As I don't yet have many perennial flowers in Vårkulla's garden I bought some heathers and one cyclamen from the local nursery. They are about two times more expensive here than in Helsinki but I just had to have these for the weekend. At least the conifers were free, they are from our own trees. The pot on the left is from Ikea as is the already weathered table.

I love these Carpe Noctem garden lights. It would be crazy if I didn't as I sell them in Finland :) More info: www.carpe-noctem.fi. Other stuff is from here and there: Ikea, Plantagen, flea markets and even from a waste dump (the metal pot on the right).

There are three cherry trees at Vårkulla. We ate a few cherries the first autumn, after that there have been none. Well, the trees are pretty, especially in spring but they don't look too bad in autumn either.

keskiviikko 11. syyskuuta 2013

We just had to buy these six Pentik stools as they were too cheap to leave at the store. For once, white seemed too lame so we bought these colourful ones. The stools are meant for the garden but maybe not for the store front, this installation is just for the picture.

tiistai 10. syyskuuta 2013

This beauty is from the 50's and suits the bedroom wallpaper perfectly. If you buy paintings from flea markets, go for ones with no boats, people or other more-difficult-to-paint details. This one have has a nice early spring atmosphere. Don't see it? Then you shouldn't have bought this one if you saw it at a flea market :)

maanantai 9. syyskuuta 2013

As I still
have the flu, going to the grocery store was not on my top list this afternoon. Luckily,
you can make luxurious meals out of very simple cupboard basics. So today I served walnut pasta on a walnut table:½ dl dried ceps (herkkutatti in Finnish)1 dl walnuts, slightly crushed

1 onion minced

1 clove garlic minced

1 tbsp olive oil

2,5 dl thick cream

1 dl milk

2 tbsp beanut butter (unsweetened)

salt, pepper and a pinch of dried sage

1 dl freshly grated pecorino (or parmesan)

pasta (e.g. spaghetti) cooked

Mix ceps
and cream and refigerate for an hour or two. Sauté onion, garlic and walnuts in
olive oil (I always cook the nuts as my husband is a bit allergic to them -
cooking seems to take the worst edge off and Kari can eat cooked nuts without
problems - same goes with apples and pears). Add the other ingredients but
cheese and pasta and cook until the sauce thickens. Mix everything and enjoy. This
recipe is for about four people.

Yesterday at the cottage I was envious of myself :) There were still lots of flowers there. In Vårkulla's autumn garden we have a lot less colour, I hope to have enough energy in spring to move some autumn flowers from the cottage to Vårkulla. Now we have these, Physalis alkekengi (Lyhtykoiso in Finnish) that I moved last spring. They seem to like the sunny/windy border better than the half shadow at the cottage.

lauantai 7. syyskuuta 2013

I have a terrible flu but still went to the local flea market with my husband. Good idea as we found these, 15 euros each. One is a bit broken but can be fixed with glue. Even though we photographed these outside, they are meant for kitchen/living room.

This small cabinet is from Pentik. On top of it sits an Arabia coffee pot from the 1930/1940 that I inherited from my nanny. The pitcher is from the 50's as is the milk jug, I think. Other stuff is new but looks nice enough.